Public Health

Environmental Health Specialist
Epidemiologist
Health Educator

Public health is concerned with assuring the public’s health through health promotion, disease prevention, quality control, and disease control.  Public health career fields include research, biostatistics, health education, environmental health and safety, consumer health, school health, communicable disease control, and occupational health.

Environmental Health Specialist

 Environmental Health Specialist are responsible for education, consultation, and enforcement relating to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and standards governing the sanitation of food, milk, water, solids, hazardous and infectious wastes, sewage, housing and institutional environments, and other health hazards.  They work to improve the water and sanitation facilities at recreational areas, nursing homes, schools, restaurants, and other locations.  They are involved actively in the overall environmental quality of a community.

Work Activities

• Evaluating the handling, processing, and serving of food and milk in order to identify hazards and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations
• Evaluating the standards of procedures, personnel, and equipment in dairies and food processing plants.
• Collecting and analyzing environmental samples of a chemical, physical, and biological nature in order to determine if a hazard to the public health exists.
• Overseeing the safe and adequate treatment and disposal of sewage and solid, hazardous, and infectious waste.
• Designing wastewater disposal systems and well installations and monitoring their construction to ensure that regulations are met
• Determining the nature and cause of a myriad of pollution problems and initiating stop-action orders
• Developing and managing program to prevent toxic waste contamination, control insects and rodents, dispose of waste, and ensure clean water supplies
• Consulting with  and advising physicians and other medical personnel about community environmental health hazards
• Recommending measures to ensure maximum community health protection
• Serving as a community health educator or environmental health issues
• Conducting and analyzing epidemiologic data regarding disease outbreaks within a community

Career Specialties

In rural areas and small cities, Environmental Health Specialists are responsible for a wide range of activities and environmental programs.  In large cities or in agencies, they may specialize in one area of environmental health.  These areas of specialization include milk and dairy production, food protection, sewage disposal, pesticide management, air pollution, institutional sanitation, and occupational health.

Work Settings

Environmental Health Specialists work closely with the public as educators, interpreters, consultants, and enforcement agents in a variety of environments. They may draft laws and regulations and testify in court.  More experienced Environmental Health Specialists may manage and supervise large staffs. Some areas of work require considerable travel and may include encountering unsanitary conditions and health hazards.  However, precautions are implemented to prevent exposure of the Environmental Health Specialist and the community to any hazards. Environmental Health Specialist working in enforcement agencies may prepare documents used in determining “acceptable standards” and in legal proceedings.

Special Requirements

Most Environmental Health Specialists earn the required bachelor’s degree in environmental health.  In some instance, education in a related field, such a environmental engineering, is acceptable.  Master’s and doctoral degrees may be earned in environmental health or a related science.  National certification is available through the National Environmental Health Association.

 Educational Institutions
Environmental Health Engineering: UALR (B); UAF, UAMS (M)
Environmental Science Studies: JBU, LC, UAF, UCA, UO (All B); ASUJ, UAF, UAMS (M & D)
Additional Education Opportunities: UAMS College of Public Health (COPH)

 For more information, contact:

National Environmental Health Association

720 S. Colorado Blvd.

Suite 970 South Tower

Denver, CO  80246

(303) 691-9490

www.neha.org

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Epidemiologist

 Epidemiologists analyze the occurrence and distribution of diseases within a population by determining the possible vector or mode of disease transmission, and examining the efficiency of intervention programs.

Career Specialties

Epidemiologists may specialize in the following fields: Infectious disease, chronic disease, environmental/occupational epidemiology, psycho/social epidemiology, health care evaluation, or human genetics

Work Activities

*Investigates and describes the causes and distribution of disease, disability, injury, & other health conditions

*Develops programs and strategies for their prevention and control

Work Settings

Epidemiologists work in a wide variety of settings including state and federal government (health, human service agencies, corrections and jail facilities, private organizations (hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, businesses), voluntary organizations (non-profit, foundation, religious), schools and university health settings, and academic and research institutions. Many epidemiologists are employed by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control)  where they attempt to analyze and eradicate disease from the population.

Special Requirements

Epidemiologists should have either a master’s or doctoral degree. Some individuals choose to enter medical school, and have a MD degree in addition to another graduate degree

Educational Institutions

UAMS (M & D)

For more information contact:

American College of Epidemiology

1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102

Raleigh, NC 27607

919-861-5573

www.acepidemiology.org

Health Educator

 Health Educators communicate information on health issues and concerns to the public and targeted population groups.  They assess individual and community needs and plan effective health education programs, while functioning as a resource and consultant.  Some topics they address are: nutrition, exercise, smoking, high blood pressure, drug and alcohol abuse, infant mortality, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and AIDS.

 Work Activities

• Diagnosing educational needs of clients to increase their knowledge, modify their attitudes, and change their unhealthy behaviors

• Researching, designing, and presenting quality health education programs.

• Writing educational materials, public information reports, grant proposals, and newsletters

• Using instructional equipment and medial effectively

• Organizing community coalitions to address health concerns and issues

• Coordinating resources and identifying ways to achieve school or community health goals

Career Specialties

Health Educators may specialize according to a health concern, such as nutrition or a particular illness, or they may specialize by work setting, such as a school or hospital.  Community Health Educators focus on public health issues, with an emphasis on community involvement and diagnosis of related health concerns.

School and College Health Educators teach comprehensive school health education courses and often counsel students.

Patient and Family Health Educators work primarily in conjunction with other health care professionals, such as physicians, nurses, and dietitians who work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and public health departments.

Worksite Health Educators plan and manage health promotion programs in a variety of public and private work settings.

 Work Settings

Health Educators work alone or with other health and human service professionals. Employment is available in many settings, including health departments, community organizations, schools, corporations, hospitals, and governmental agencies.

 Special Requirements

National certification is available for Health Educators who pass a written examination as a Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES). Special licensing is required for Health Educators who become classroom teachers.  Academic preparation is available at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

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